The Riverside City Council voted to postpone until January any decision on the future of the Mount Rubidoux cross, which is threatened by a potential First Amendment lawsuit.

The decision came late Tuesday, Nov. 13, after more than 200 residents packed the council chambers and spoke for more than two hours. Most who spoke urged the City Council to save the cross.

A group advocating separation of church and state advised the city it would sue if the cross is not removed. The council had been considering a recommendation to sell the cross and the land under it.

Mount Rubidoux, a public park beloved by the community, has had a cross on its top since 1907. It is home to what locals say is the longest-running outdoor Easter sunrise service, which began in 1909. The current 35-foot concrete and steel cross replaced a wooden one in 1963, historian Glenn Wenzel said.

Residents made "save the cross" buttons and signs, and Stan Skrocki wore one of the pro-cross T-shirts he created to sell at his store, EmbroidMe.

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Several residents said the cross should come down, but most of those who spoke asked the city to do something to keep it in place because, while it's a religious symbol to some, it's a historic symbol of the city to others.

"It is a magnificent symbol not just of our city's past but of her present, and it is deeply loved," said Josiah Trenham, pastor at St Andrew Orthodox Church. He told the council he would chain himself to the cross if necessary to prevent its removal.

"The cross holds no religious significance to me," Keith Alex said. "It's all part of the mountain as it is."

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The recent furor over the cross arose last week when city officials revealed they would consider selling a 0.43-acre parcel where the cross stands to avoid a lawsuit threatened by Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

The group wrote the city in August to say unless the cross is removed, it would sue under the First Amendmentâs establishment clause, which courts have interpreted as banning most religious displays on public land.

The mountain has been a public park since 1955, when Mission Inn owner Frank Millerâs family donated the land to the city. A condition in the deed requiring the city to maintain the cross expired in 1985.

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Some speakers quoted the Bible and questioned why some religions are openly recognized while Christian symbols are under attack. But others said as non-Christians, they see the cross as excluding them.

City officials proposed the sale of the cross and the property beneath it because they believe the case law is against them, and selling a piece of land to a private owner has resolved some situations. Residents have made other suggestions for how to protect what many see as a community treasure. Old Riverside Foundation President David Leonard wrote that the history of the cross and Easter service make it eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.

Follow Alicia Robinson on Twitter: @arobinson_pe or online at http://blog.pe.com/riverside/

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